A am planning on retiring soon. Our plans are to continue some ministry efforts yet to be determined. I want to work in my shop, getting back to making some knives among other projects. Mostly we want to escape Ohio winters. I will hunt more Ohio WT and get to Texas as much as I can to hunt whatever I can.

Good luck with it Chief. One of my dreams also. Best wishes

I will finally have my own ranch in west texas with my own 1,000 yard range out the back door. No more $15 range fees or rules for idiots for me. Heck, might even hunt the back 40 from a jacuzzi on a hill top.

10 years ago I would have said that I'd never really retire. Today, I'd retire in a heartbeat if I could afford it. The wife thinks I'd go crazy after just a couple months and get a part-time job, but I think I could be happy being a bum puttering around the house and getting in her way.

9 years left until I can draw a pension, and I'm unsure I'll be able to afford to retire then - probably will need to work a few more years after that. Plans at the moment are to sell the house and property, then find something smaller and cheaper. Whatever we get for selling the current place will be the total we spend on the next - I don't want to make house payments when I retire. Whatever we end up with, I don't want to have to be fighting brush and fence repairs all the time. We're getting tired of the heat and drought in central Texas, and are thinking about heading to NE Texas (in-laws), south Oklahoma (more in-laws), or even Arkansas or SW Missouri.

As for what I'd do to keep busy, I think I'll start reading a lot more, sleep in to 7AM, or even 8AM most days, and do a lot of birdwatching. Have big garden. If convenient, I'd start fishing, and hopefully find someplace I could afford to hunt occasionally. And although I'm a lousy fiction writer, I enjoy doing it, and would like the opportunity to practice and improve it.

Sounds like a good plan JR, except for the part about leaving Texas. I'll take heat over cold anyday.

I have been teaching/coaching high school football & baseball since 1987. I can safely retire in 2017. I am not sure I will retire at that time. I feel good, I think i will go until January of my 57th birthday. That will give me about 34 years of coaching. At that time I will definitely be spending 3-4-5 days at a time HUNTING. My wife will know where I am but won't be able to find me. Tuesday- Friday will be a good schedule to keep. Cannot wait.

Pretty sure I will never be able to retire, not in the cards... No pension, never had any retirement programs in my work or business life, SS darn sure won't cover the bills by the time I reach that age. So I've decided to do all the "living" I can right now because I'm pretty sure I'm screwed for "retirement". I'm not waiting to take those trips or go on those hunts. I'm getting them out of the way now, while I'm healthy and can afford em. Plus who knows I may never live to that age, may croak tonight in my sleep!

I figure on working 9 more years!!! The house will be paid off and if I do work it will only be part time just to keep my sanity!!! It would be nice to sleep in until 7 or 8 though!!!

Good Plan, but don't plan on sleeping late! My internal clock is set at 5am and it works whether I want to or not...